Into the Cosmos – 2015

We are now part of the New York Cosmos podcast family, and you can see our show listed on the NASL Cosmos Home Page

Into the Cosmos! The weekly podcast dedicated exclusively to the New York Cosmos, which we interview Cosmos players and coaches, as well as one interview with a representative from the club we are facing as each weekend approaches.

On our first edition of the show, we get in to the discussion about the prospects of the new stadium proposal, as well as interviews with the Cosmos captain Carlos Mendes, and star forward Aly Hassan, from the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, whom we face opening day in Florida April 4.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, Ej Garr and Michael Lewis discuss the 1 – 1 draw this past weekend in Indy, and bring you two big interviews.

As we have all season so far, we bring you interviews with a representative from each club from the upcoming match, and we didn’t hold back with the big names this week. We welcome Coach Gio Savarese from our New York Cosmos to the show for the first time this year, and we also welcome Tampa Bay Rowdies’ head coach Thomas Rongen to the broadcast.

Both coaches discuss the future of promotion/relegation possibilities in the MLS/NASL, and they both discuss their respective playing and coaching careers.

This week on #IntoTheCosmos, we review the home opener at Shuart Stadium this past weekend, and get the fans prepared for the match with Atlanta this weekend.

Ej Garr, and new co-host Frank Dell’Apa discuss the new stadium town meeting on May 7, which will hopefully bring answers for the new Cosmos Stadium in Long Island, NY.

We will have interviews with two players who represent their respective clubs, the first being the NY Cosmos leading goal scorer thus far, Leo Fernandez. His goal to give the Cosmos a 2 – 0 lead just as the second half began, can now be voted on at the NASL home page for goal of the week.

We also speak with the Captain of the Atlanta Silverbacks, Simon Mensing, about his career in Europe, and his first season in the NASL with the club.

Game day is right around the corner, so get off your couch, and get out to support the best league in the United States!

This week on #IntotheCosmos, Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa discuss the state of the Cosmos, review the match with Atlanta, and get you prepared for this weekend’s game with the Ottawa.Fury at home in MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York.

We have two interviews to bring you, as we have all season, and this week we have midfielder Danny Szetela from the New York Cosmos, and striker Tom Heinemann from the Ottawa Fury. Danny talks about his international career as a player, playing in Spain and Italy. Not only does Tom talk about the upcoming game this weekend, but what the Fury is doing to prepare for one more game they have before Saturday in the Canadian Championships. Tom also shared information on his camp for kids that he holds in his hometown of St. Louis. Both players also discuss their careers that have led them to where they are today, from the MLS, and abroad.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the first ever Cosmos match at MCU Park in Brooklyn this past weekend, and get you ready for Edmonton on Mother’s Day this Sunday.

Two fantastic interviews come your way, as we sit down with the New York Cosmos striker Lucky Mkosana, on the heels of his only goal that gave the Cosmos three points in their 1 – 0 win in Brooklyn over Ottawa this past weekend.

With Edmonton in town this week, the guys have the pleasure of interviewing the head coach of the Eddies, Colin Miller, who has had a tremendous career as both a player and coach, and if you listen to his advice, you can learn what he looks for in a player.

Get yourself ready for this weekend at Shuart Stadium, as the Cosmos welcome the Eddies to town, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there who are special to all of us in their own way!

On this week’s episode of #IntotheCosmos, hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review last week’s Cosmos’ victory, 4 – 2, against Edmonton FC on Mother’s Day at Shuart Stadium. The victory puts them five points on top of the fall standings.

This week’s guests include Cosmos’ defender Hunter Gorskie, who talks about his career and his path to the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.

Our next guest is the Railhawks’ defenseman/midfielder Wes Knight, who talks about his torn ACL injury and how he made his way back to the league #TheUntoldStoryofSport. Our next interview is with Railhawks’ midfielder Neil Hlavaty, who ties for second on the list with minutes played in the modern NASL.

Ej and Frank will preview this weekend’s New York Cosmos’ match as they prepare to take the road to Carolina to play the Railhawks at Wakemed Park on Saturday, May 16.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review last weekend’s 2 – 2 draw with Carolina, and get you prepared for the San Antonio Scorpions visit to Shuart Stadium on Saturday.

In review of the match at Carolina’s Wakemed Park, the Cosmos earned a draw in stunning fashion, entering the 90th minute down 2 – 0, completing the comeback with a goal from Andres Flores with only seconds remaining in extra time. He also earned a spot on the NASL team of the week.

Flores is our guest this week on the show, as he discusses the goal to pull the match level, while giving us some insight on his time with the El Salvador national team. Currently, he is the only Cosmos player who will be serving international duty over the summer, as World Cup qualification and Gold Cup competition are among the events taking place. He discusses the pre-season stop in his native El Salvador and the excitement for the upcoming trip to Cuba for the Cosmos.

We then prepare everyone for the match this weekend vs the San Antonio Scorpions, as the Cosmos enter the weekend up three points in the standings, with only three matches remaining in the spring campaign.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa have a huge show lined up for everyone to enjoy.

The guys will review the match this past weekend with San Antonio, after the Cosmos put an almost perfect performance together, which aided Jimmy Maurer to his NASL record setting 18th clean sheet, in the 3 – 0 win.

Speaking of Jimmy Maurer, the Cosmos stellar GK makes his first appearance on the show this season, and reflects on his accomplishments, and this season on and off the field.

With the Cosmos preparing for their 3rd Round U.S Cup battle with Jersey Express, we get the amazing opportunity to sit down with Express head coach Anderson Da SIlva, who has been helping the youth of soccer his entire life. He, alongside Chiquinho Da Silva, have combined for over 50 years of educating players on how to play the beautiful game.

Our third interview is with the head coach of Minnesota United, as we welcome Manny Lagos to the broadcast. Following his father’s footsteps, Manny is the longest tenured coach in the entire NASL, with two Coach of the Year awards to his credit.

It will be a busy week ahead for the Cosmos, with the U.S Cup match on Wednesday, a big league match with second place Minnesota, and a trip to Cuba on June 2nd all on deck, so let’s get to it!

Today on #IntotheCosmos, Hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the week that was for the New York Cosmos. After a U.S Open Cup match with Jersey City that resulted in a 3 – 0 win, and a 1 – 1 draw with Minnesota in league play, the boys took to Havana, Cuba in a historic match with the Cuban National Team. The Cosmos came out on top 4 – 1, with four first half goals. Lucky Mkosana found the net twice, with Sebastian Guenzatti and Hagop Chirishian adding tallies for the team.

Our interviews this week will take place with Sebastian Guenzatti from the Cosmos, and Jemal Johnson from the Jacksonville Armada, who in fact has a ring on his finger from his 2013 season with the Cosmos.

We will preview the match this weekend with Jacksonville, and get you prepared for the weekend, as well as discuss some news before the US Open Cup match with NYCFC.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa preview the U.S Open Cup match with NYCFC on Wednesday June 17, and we bring in a special guest to join the conversation.

Ian Joy of beINSports, who also commentates the NYCFC games for the Yes Network, will join our hosts this week, as the former MLS player provides his analysis of the state of the team, as well as the significance of the U.S Open CUp in soccer history.

While the Cosmos celebrate the Spring Championship, there is no time to sit back and rest on the accomplishment, with a 4th round encounter on deck in the Open Cup, and Coach Gio Savarese stated as much in this week’s press conference, noting that while the accomplishment is significant, there is much more work left to do this year.

Let’s get to it, and hopefully we will see you at Shuart Stadium at 7:30 PM ET, for the match against NYCFC.

Welcome to this week’s edition of #IntotheCosmos, the podcast that can be heard every Wednesday at 1 PM ET.

Hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you ready for the U.S Open Cup outing against the New York Red Bulls, and rewind to the New York Cosmos big win over NYCFC in the fourth round of the Cup at Shuart Stadium last week.

We venture beyond the Cosmos a bit this week with the team having some time off and discuss the U.S Men’s National Team roster. We will also talk about the antics of Clint Dempsey this past week in the U.S Cup that led to a 3-match ban in MLS play, and Jurgen Klinsmann’s approach for the Gold Cup.

There are many high-profile European players making their way to the states, and Frank is in NY this week to be part of the Steve Nash Showdown event in New York’s China Town.

We reveal the early portion of the fall schedule for the NY Cosmos, and review the spring success of the team as well, so buckle up for a ride … Into the Cosmos!

This week on #IntotheCosmos, join our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa as we prepare for the arrival of the Fall portion of the NASL season. There is much to discuss, as the U.S Open Cup match with the Cosmos and New York Red Bulls takes place this evening at the Red Bull Arena, while the Cosmos also prepare for Indy Eleven this upcoming weekend.

We have two special interviews to bring you this week! We have the goalkeepers from both the Cosmos and Indy joining us. Jimmy Maurer makes his second appearance on the show, and we welcome Kristian Nicht in his debut appearance on Sports Palooza Radio’s Into the Cosmos. The two have gotten to know each other well over the last two NASL seasons, with each team settling for a draw in four all-time meetings, and you will hear the mutual respect the two have for each other in their interviews.

Today on #IntotheCosmos, Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get the Cosmos fans ready for the match next weekend against the Jacksonville Armada, although the team dos have this weekend off.

The Cosmos escaped Indy Eleven this past weekend with a 1 – 1 draw, which seems to be a trend when it comes to playing the Indiana franchise. The Cosmos and Indy Eleven have met five times in NASL action, and we have seen a draw on all five occasions.

We bring you an interview with Mads Stokkelien, who has a U.S Cup goal to his credit this season, but is still looking for his first league goal of 2015. Hopefully we will be able to have an influence on that, as the #18 factors in to the equation.

We will discuss some of the comments made in Coach Gio’s weekly press conference, and get you all covered with team news, injuries, and player status’, so let’s get in to the Cosmos!

This week on #IntotheCosmos, our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get everyone prepared for the match this weekend with the Jacksonville Armada, who if you recall gave the Cosmos all they could handle in the final game of the Spring season.

The Cosmos came away with the Spring title, but the Armada battled for 90 minutes and found a 3 – 3 result with a late goal from Joseph Toby.

Joseph Toby will come on the air with us this week, and talk about the excitement of scoring his first NASL goal in a Jacksonville uniform, and also talk about his transition from moving to the United States from Sierra Leone, Africa.

Our Cosmos interview this week will be with Jimmy Mulligan, who makes his second appearance on the show this year. Jimmy discusses his love for being part of the clinics that the Cosmos are known for, which he hopes carries over in to a coaching role in his future, but for now, he is more than content playing in New York, where he grew up and has called home his entire life.

The Cosmos enter the weekend still undefeated this season, and the Armada are going to do their best to change all that at Everbank Field while playing their third game in eight days.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the week that was for the New York Cosmos, which amounted in the team’s first loss of the 2015 campaign to Jacksonville this past weekend.

On deck for the Cosmos this week is another battle with Indy Eleven, who as we all know have given the team fits in two seasons, playing to five draws in five games between the two clubs.

For our interviews this week, we welcome Hagop Chirishian from the Cosmos, who makes hisfirst appearance on the show. The Armenian American has had quite an influence with the team of late, which included a NASL Best XI award in the final spring game that helped clinch the spring title for the Cosmos.

We also welcome Greg Janicki from Indy Eleven, who has had a stellar career at every level of American soccer from his days at Michigan State, to winning a championship with the San Antonio Scorpions a year ago, now playing in his first season with Indy Eleven.

Our hosts will wrap up the show with their expectations this weekend for the match at “The Mike”, and talk about the Cosmos B squad starting the playoffs today against the NY Athletic Club, who the secondary squad has beaten twice in their two regular season meetings.

This week on #IntotheCosmos our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you ready for a crazy week ahead for the New York Cosmos.

With three matches set to be played in seven days, the Cosmos will be on the field plenty over the next two weekends, as they face two home games with Ft Lauderdale and Minnesota, before hitting the road for a second meeting with Ft Lauderdale.

We review the weekend’s 1 – 1 draw with Indy Eleven, whiich amazingly makes it six straight games in the series with a draw as an outcome between the teams.

We sit down with Andres Flores this week, who just rejoined the team from Gold Cup action with El Salvadore. Andres is making his second appearance on the show.

As all teams battle for positioning in the fall table, the Cosmos need to pick up the pace in the standings as the accumulative points for the spring and fall will determine home field advantage in the playoffs.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you ready for tonight’s match with Minnesota, while reviewing the win over Ft. Lauderdale this past weekend.

The Cosmos are playing their second of three games in a seven day stretch, and have seven games on the August schedule as they try to keep pace with Ottawa for the best overall record combined with the fall and spring season.

Ej and Frank sit down with new arrival Ruben Bover, who took home hte NPSL MVP Award this sesaon for his work with Cosmos B, and he is now with the first team. Cosmos B will be playing the Championship game in Chattanooga, TN on Saturday at 7:30, which can be seen live at Nycosmos.com.

The Cosmos travel to Lockhart Stadium this weekend as well, to once again take on the Strikers for the final time in the regular season.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the 2 – 1 win over the San Antonio Scorpions, and get you prepared for the week ahead.

The Cosmos will play three games over a 9-day span, which begins with two road games in Carolina and Ottawa before reurning home to Shuart Stadium to again face Carolina.

We sit down with Hunter Gorskie this week, who makes his second apperance on the podcast this sesaon, and we talk about his career, his memories of the U.S Open Cup shootout goal to beat NYCFC, and his memories of the Cosmos historic trip to Cuba.

We then bring in Connor Tobin who is the team captain for the Carolina Railhawks, as we discuss his career that has seen him play in Norway, as well as playing with two NASL teams.

With a two point lead in the combined standings as the Cosmos prepare for the post-season, the heads-up match with Ottawa during the week becomes vital as the two battle for NASL supremacy in the table.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get us prepared for the weekend match at Tampa Bay’s Al Lang Stadium, and rewind the month of August that saw the Cosmos take points in all seven matches on the schedule.

Our interviews this week are fantastic, with two experienced players from both the NY Cosmos and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Adam Moffat, long time MLS veteran and Scotland native joins us to discuss the season and his transition to a sweeper role of late, which he relishes in helping the defense, while still having the ability to push and score timely goals when called upon.

The Rowdies’ Juan Guerra also joins us and discusses becoming the first signing with the team when they reformed in the NASL, while celebrating their 40th year as an organization in 2015.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you set for a fun-filled weekend on deck for the NY Cosmos as they prepare for this weekends match with the Jacksonville Armada at Shuart Stadium.

The activities of the weekend include a special Heroes Night, honoring the men and women who serve our country and protect our freedom, with a special halftime ceremony to take place.

It is Giorgio Chinaglia bobblehead series night, and the first 3,000 fans in attendance will be taking home one of the Cosmos legends gift package.

Our hosts will discuss some U.S Men’s National Team news, review the NASL weekend schedule, and offer up the expectations on the Cosmos next few games which includes another three-game in nine-day stretch.on deck.

Let’s give a big hoo-rah, and enjoy this weekends festvities as we hope to see you at Shuart Stadium this weekend as the Cosmos look to stretch their home unbeaten streak.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you set for another run of three matches in nine days, which the NY Cosmos have seemingly been doing for the last six weeks, and it won’t be the last time we see this happen in the Fall portion of the campaign.

With only eight games remaining in the regular season and the playoffs fast approaching, the Cosmos look to gain ground on both Ottawa and Minnesota in the fall standings with two heads-up affairs on deck, while still holding a three point lead in the combined standings.

The guys welcome the Captain Carlos Mendes back to the show, after a week one appearance from the first ever signing by the Cosmos in the new era. Carlos discusses his re-signing with the NY Cosmos towards the future, and the fun of changing diapers with his four-month-old son in his life.

Ej and Frank give their opinions on how the next two weekend’s will figure in to the playoff picture, while also discussing some of the new signings for the team.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the past two games, which include a 0 – 0 Draw with Minnesota and last nights tough 4 – 1 loss to the Ottawa Fury. Despite a good amount of the possession time in their favor, the Cosmos were unable to take out the leaders of the Fall Season, which now puts home field in jeopardy towards the post-season.

The loss for the Cosmos ended an 18 -game stretch without a loss at Shuart Stadium that dated back to August 2, 2014 against Carolina.

With a big match in Edmonton this weekend, and only six games left in the regular season, there is no more room to give away points, so the time is ow to turn up the heat and build confidence.

We will brng you game quotes from Coach Gio, and also discuss the standings and points totals around the NASL.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get you prepared fo the final five matches of the fall campaign, and try to recover from this Sunday’s 2 – 1 loss to Edmonton that ended a long week of rough results.

As the Cosmos prepare for yet another set of games that will see them on the field three times in eight days, a home and home series with Atlanta could decide the fate of both teams in the NASL playoff picture.

Our interview this week is with Columbian native David Diosa, who moved to New York with his mom and sister when he was 11 years old. David talks to us about meeting Miss Universe Paulina Vega, who attended Hispanic Heritage night on September 22, and how Corona Park effected his life as a footballer in the United States.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get us prepared for the final four matches of the regular season that will bring us to the NASL playoffs, which the Cosmos have a spot in the semifinals already clinched from the Spring title.

We bring in Jimmy Mulligan from the New York Cosmos, as the former St. Johns alum comes off his recent start against Edmonton last weekend. Jimmy discusses the state of the club as well as his on and off the field experiences as a Cosmo.

With a stop in Atlanta on Wednesday to face the Silverbacks again, the Comsos have a quick turn around with Edmonton on deck this weekend, putting the team on the field three times in eight days.

Be sure to be at Shuart Stadium early for the Edmonton game to get your Danny Szetela bobble head, as chosen by the fans.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, your hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa review the New York Cosmos recent 3 – 0 victories over Atlanta and Edmonton, and get us prepared for the final two matches before the playoffs begind on November 7.

The Cosmos have a guaranteed home game in the semi-finals after taking the Spring portion of the campaign, and are now in a heated battle with Ottawa and Minnesota for who will host the Soccer Bowl Championship Game.

Ottawa and Minnesota has each clinched playoff berths, while Ft. Lauderdale appears to be in line for the fourth and final position, although much could change over the last two weekends of the regular season.

The guys sit down with Danny Szetela this week, and discuss the state of the Cosmos locker room and the luxury of a bye week before the final two regular season outings of the year.

With their final home game scheduled on the last weekend of the season against Tampa Bay at Shuart Stadium, the Cosmos will first take on San Antonio at Toyota Field this Saturday, with the expectation of six points.

In our final regular season show of #IntotheCosmos in the 2015 campaign, our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa count us down to the playoffs, with one match remaining before the NASL semifinals get underway.

They review the three-game win streak that the Cosmos carry into the final game against Tampa Bay, who are also hoping to secure a bid to the playoffs. The two face off at Shuart Stadium on Halloween night.

They also sit down this week with new arrival Kharlton Belmar, who made a splash in his first appearance with the Cosmos against Atlanta. The Cosmos won 3 – 0 win to kick off the three-game win streak that started on October 7.

Who will be joining the Cosmos in the post-season? Ej and Frank go over all the scenarios as the NASL playoff picture takes shape.

The New York Cosmos are headed to the post season, and despite all the possibilites as the fall portion of the campaign progressed, the road to the finals goes through New York.

After the Cosmos surpassed the Ottawa Fury on the final day of the regular season, they will now play host for the NASL Playoff semi-finals at MCU Park in Brooklyn, and should they move on to the finals, will also get to play the last game of the season at home.

This week our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa get us ready for the post-season, with a recap of the spring and fall seasons that has gotten us to this point of campaign.

Our guest this week is Cosmos keeper Kyle Zobeck, who already has earned hardware this season with the Cosmos B squad under Alecko Eskandarian in their first season playing in the NPSL. We surprise Kyle with a call from his college coach from Valparaiso Mike Avery during the interview.

The Cosmos will kick off the semifinals at 2 PM ET at MCU Park adjacent to Coney Island, so make sure you secure your tickets early.

This week on #IntotheCosmos, the two best clubs throughout the campaign will decide the NASL 2015 Soccer Bowl title on Sunday., November 15 at Shuart Stadium.

The New York Cosmos earned the Spring title, and the Ottawa Fury took home the Fall title, and now they will take part in the Championship game for the ultimate hardware that both teams worked so hard to achieve this year.

Our hosts Ej Garr and Frank Dell’Apa walk us through the events that led us to this point, from opening day to last weekend’s semifinal games that were filled with excitement, which featured two separate comebacks from early deficits.

Both the Fury and Cosmos found themselves down a goal in the semifinals, as each club scratched and clawed their way to the title match with equivalent 2 – 1 results.

This is the Championship Edition of the show, so let’s celebrate the season, and may the best team win!